ELIAS’ POV Time seemed to stop and everything around me became a blur. Everything but her. The hunter stood out amongst the crowd of dancing figures like a bright star in the night sky, her radiance nearly blinding. A goddess among peasants. She was beautiful. It pained me to admit it but there wasn’t a single female in the club that held a candle to her. She was flawless. Breathtaking. She oozed an air of confidence as she strode through the club, so unlike the trembling female I’d seen on that night and I figured this was probably her default setting. A proud and powerful hunter. The mortal reaper. For some reason, that pompous air she exuded was insanely attractive to me. She looked the same as I’d seen her last yet more beautiful at the same time. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Like a lost fool, I stood at the balcony’s edge, absorbing every detail of her that I could. Unlike the first night we’d crossed paths, she was dressed lighter, giving me a better view of everyth
ALLISON’S POV When I peeled my heavy lids open, I found myself laying on the floor, darkness surrounding me as a feeling similar to what I imagined having your skull split open felt like radiated through my head. It felt like a bomb had gone off in my skull. The pounding only increased when I tried to lift my heavy body off the ground. My hand came up to rub my temple in an attempt to ease some of the pain but I was met with resistance as the sound of chains faintly echoed in the room. I blindly felt at my wrist, my confusion and panic growing at the feeling of metal cuffs connected to chains. Both my wrists had been shackled by heavy metal, my range of movement limited. The hell? Where the fuck was I? Why was I bound and why did I feel like I’d just had a head-on collision with a truck? I racked my brain, trying to piece together what had happened before I’d passed out but I pulled up blank, my headache only worsening from the mental exertion. What the hell is going on?
“Oh don’t glare at me like that. It’s been years since we last saw each other. You’re finally back home, that’s plenty of reason to be happy.” Alistair said with a smirk, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement. He hadn’t changed even a bit despite all the time that had passed but that was to be expected. He was a vampire after all, an abomination. Once their kind reached a certain age, they froze into their appearances, never again aging no matter how much time passed. Alistair was more than 5 centuries old but didn’t look a day over 35. The vampire’s dark hair was slicked back, without a single strand of hair out of place. It was the hairstyle I’d always known him with and on more than one occasion I’d wondered how much gel was used to get the hair that way. I imagined it would be rock solid if touched. A black leather jacket had been thrown over his large body, a black shirt underneath with a matching pair of tight, shiny leather trews. As always, his fashion sense was questionab
“I warned everyone to steer clear of this place, did I not?” The royal said, his deep voice full of authority as his hand rested on Alistair’s throat. He didn’t yell, in fact, his tone was almost gentle and that was what made it so terrifying. Despite not raising his voice, I could feel the fury oozing off him in waves. It was enough for the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end even though I wasn’t the one his fury was directed at. I could only imagine what Alistair was feeling. The vampire struggled, clasping at the royal’s hand in an attempt to free himself. An obviously futile attempt. He was no match for the Royal. “You did, Lord Elias.” Alistair croaked through constricted vocal cords, his eyes wide as he struggled to breathe. “Yet you go behind my back anyways and even dare lay hands on my prisoner.” “It was her fault. She… She…”“It’s her fault you disobeyed my orders? Do you take me for a fool?” The royal’s crimson eyes narrowed, his grip growing tighter until a si
ALLISON'S POV Focus Allison. I took a deep breath in and sighed, hoping it would help ease the pounding that rang in my overly sensitive ears. Breathe in. Breathe out. It didn’t. Sirens blared at a distance which I supposed wasn’t a rare sound in an area like this. Vampires always seemed to love hanging around in slums like these, where their crimes could easily be masked as nothing more than a pitiful yet common occurrence. The sun had long made its descent from the sky, plaguing the area in a darkness that was only slightly alleviated by the faint glow of the half-moon above us. The streetlights that lined the area didn’t help. All were dead save for one that gave a consistent flicker. The sudden sound of a gunshot made me jolt. “Are you okay?” Lacey, our sniper asked from my side. We were both sprawled out on the roof of the old abandoned warehouse with our fronts pressed to the edge of the surprisingly sturdy zinc. Lacey had her rifle positioned and set s
ALLISON'S POV I smiled when he did, the force of his rage feeling like a cooling balm on my skin. There was no easier target than one driven by emotion. Especially when the emotion in question was one as volatile as anger. I easily evaded his careless attack, dipping under the arm he swung at me and moving to his back. Maybe this was what I needed. A fight to keep my mind off the disconcerting changes that had been happening to me. Nothing lifted my mood more than a chance to pummel leeches. For the first time in days, my head was clear and I was relieved of the noises that threatened to madden me. The leech stumbled but hastily righted himself before throwing himself at me once again. Appearance-wise the vamp looked level-headed but appearances could be deceiving, I'd learnt that a long time ago. The way he moved was anything but level-headed. He threw another careless fist in my direction. Was he trying to bore me with these overly predictable attacks? I almost yaw
ALLISON'S POV"If you're going to kill me just do it already." I spat out through the blood bubbling at the back of my throat, biting back tears from the pain. I'd rather chew on glass than let these bastards see me cry. I could feel the warmth slowly leaving my body as blood seeped from the wound. I guess I should be lucky he hadn't pulled the blade out yet. Or was that intentional?"That would be too easy now, wouldn't it?" Man bun said behind me. So it was intentional. Typical vampires. "We have other plans for you. Remember, I said I have a crush on you." Trench coat said as he dipped his head towards my neck. Fangs grazed the skin there and panic shot through me as memories I tried to keep buried resurfaced with a vengeance. No. Anything but that. I can't go through that again. Panic made my whole world spin as I began another desperate attempt to free myself. "You'll make the perfect little blood slave." "No... stop-" He nicked my skin with a fang and ran his tongue over th
My eyes remained fixed on the spot the royal had stood, my body still trembling moments after he'd disappeared. The threat was gone, I was safe, yet my heart continued to pound like a jackhammer in my chest, the sound so loud that it made my already sensitive ears throb. Nothing else around me registered. I couldn't move. I could barely even breathe. The fear his presence had stirred up was so potent that my eyes stung. A Royal... Here of all places.... I knew it was impossible to avoid crossing paths with one of their kind given the occupation I'd chosen for myself but I never imagined meeting one again this soon. I always thought I'd be prepared when the day finally came but I wasn't. I still wasn't over it. I still wasn't over what HE did to me. From the twin vampires nearly feeding from me and the Royal appearing, it was obvious I wasn't nearly as ‘healed’ as I thought I was. My hand gripped the hilt of my blade as memories of a much darker time flooded my thoughts but the
“I warned everyone to steer clear of this place, did I not?” The royal said, his deep voice full of authority as his hand rested on Alistair’s throat. He didn’t yell, in fact, his tone was almost gentle and that was what made it so terrifying. Despite not raising his voice, I could feel the fury oozing off him in waves. It was enough for the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end even though I wasn’t the one his fury was directed at. I could only imagine what Alistair was feeling. The vampire struggled, clasping at the royal’s hand in an attempt to free himself. An obviously futile attempt. He was no match for the Royal. “You did, Lord Elias.” Alistair croaked through constricted vocal cords, his eyes wide as he struggled to breathe. “Yet you go behind my back anyways and even dare lay hands on my prisoner.” “It was her fault. She… She…”“It’s her fault you disobeyed my orders? Do you take me for a fool?” The royal’s crimson eyes narrowed, his grip growing tighter until a si
“Oh don’t glare at me like that. It’s been years since we last saw each other. You’re finally back home, that’s plenty of reason to be happy.” Alistair said with a smirk, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement. He hadn’t changed even a bit despite all the time that had passed but that was to be expected. He was a vampire after all, an abomination. Once their kind reached a certain age, they froze into their appearances, never again aging no matter how much time passed. Alistair was more than 5 centuries old but didn’t look a day over 35. The vampire’s dark hair was slicked back, without a single strand of hair out of place. It was the hairstyle I’d always known him with and on more than one occasion I’d wondered how much gel was used to get the hair that way. I imagined it would be rock solid if touched. A black leather jacket had been thrown over his large body, a black shirt underneath with a matching pair of tight, shiny leather trews. As always, his fashion sense was questionab
ALLISON’S POV When I peeled my heavy lids open, I found myself laying on the floor, darkness surrounding me as a feeling similar to what I imagined having your skull split open felt like radiated through my head. It felt like a bomb had gone off in my skull. The pounding only increased when I tried to lift my heavy body off the ground. My hand came up to rub my temple in an attempt to ease some of the pain but I was met with resistance as the sound of chains faintly echoed in the room. I blindly felt at my wrist, my confusion and panic growing at the feeling of metal cuffs connected to chains. Both my wrists had been shackled by heavy metal, my range of movement limited. The hell? Where the fuck was I? Why was I bound and why did I feel like I’d just had a head-on collision with a truck? I racked my brain, trying to piece together what had happened before I’d passed out but I pulled up blank, my headache only worsening from the mental exertion. What the hell is going on?
ELIAS’ POV Time seemed to stop and everything around me became a blur. Everything but her. The hunter stood out amongst the crowd of dancing figures like a bright star in the night sky, her radiance nearly blinding. A goddess among peasants. She was beautiful. It pained me to admit it but there wasn’t a single female in the club that held a candle to her. She was flawless. Breathtaking. She oozed an air of confidence as she strode through the club, so unlike the trembling female I’d seen on that night and I figured this was probably her default setting. A proud and powerful hunter. The mortal reaper. For some reason, that pompous air she exuded was insanely attractive to me. She looked the same as I’d seen her last yet more beautiful at the same time. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Like a lost fool, I stood at the balcony’s edge, absorbing every detail of her that I could. Unlike the first night we’d crossed paths, she was dressed lighter, giving me a better view of everyth
ELIAS’ POV I chugged down the glass of Demon’s brew Melissa slid over to me in one go, relishing the way the bitter liquid burned as it slid down my throat. Burning meant strong. Strong meant no more thinking. Already I’d downed three glasses of the potent brew so why could I still think? Why were those eyes still haunting my thoughts? I’d thought the alcohol would at least numb my brain enough to forget about her but it was doing nothing. Dammit! It’s not enough. “Another one.” I growled, holding the now empty glass out to Melissa for a refill. Rather than fill my glass as I’d expected, the witch frowned, instead placing the half-empty bottle of brew down on the table. I recognised that look in her eyes, she was about to go all mother hen on me and a scolding was due. “That’s your third glass already.” She said, pointing out the obvious. “That’s not regular alcohol. You’ve had enough for one night.” “No, I need more. Just give me the bottle.” I reached over the table to grab i
Oh for Pete’s sake! Now is not the fucking time. I cursed as I struggled to release myself but the arms of my captor were strong and hard. He wasn’t budging. Even when I tried to turn around to get a look at the bastard, I couldn’t, his hold on me was too tight. My body remained firmly plastered against his firm chest. Just what I fucking needed, a clingy stranger trying to cop a feel. I inhaled a deep breath for calm, willing myself to not plant him in the jaw. No violence. Can’t cause a scene here. “Can you let me go? I’m not in the mood for a dance.” I yelled loud enough for the stranger to hear over the booming music, even though I knew a simple refusal never stopped bastards like this. He gave no response. Instead, his grip on me seemed to grow tighter. For a faint second, I contemplated reaching for the sword I had tucked away in my pant leg but I quickly thought against it. The last thing I wanted to do was cause a scene here. I couldn’t risk Melissa leaving the premis
A week had passed since my run-in with the Royal and I’d spent that whole time trapped in the association’s clinic while I ‘recovered’ from my injuries of that night. The blade wound that had only narrowly missed my heart was now no more than a faint cut in my midsection, no bigger than a paper cut. The wound had healed at a frightening speed and now there was almost no trace that I’d nearly lost my life that night. It had taken so much out of me to hide the nearly healed wound from Dr Miyu but somehow I’d managed. If she’d seen how quickly the wound had healed, there was no doubt in my mind she would put two and two together and figure out I was changing into something loathsome. My fingers tightened on the handlebars of my motorcycle as an image of what my life could become if the truth got out flashed before my eyes. I saw Damien’s cold face as he held the barrel of his gun to my skull while everyone else stood and watched, silently urging him to just end my life already. I sa
Chapter 6Both our heads turned to meet the new visitor or rather visitors. Three figures stood at the door; the head doctor of the clinic, the leader and Lacey. The greying old lady who was in charge of the clinic was the one who had spoken. She stood beside the leader with a hand tucked in her white lab coat and a stethoscope hung over her neck. Her greying hair, which was the only indication that she was a woman well into her 50’s was cropped into a bob that barely touched her slender shoulders. Her dark eyes glinted with mischief and the cheeky grin on her face made me want to crawl into a hole and die. She was one person who knew about my feelings for Damien and the one person who didn’t hesitate to give me hell for it. She stepped forward, coming to the edge of my bed and placing a hand on my forehead. “Are you running a fever? You’re red as a beet.” My face only grew warmer at her words. “I’m fine.” I said as I slapped her hand away, hating the way my voice cracked when I s
Those red orbs remained focused on me, unblinking for what felt like an eternity until finally they vanished. In an instant, his presence was gone but the bloodlust had lingered until the very last second. Even when I no longer sensed him, my heart felt like it would leap out of my chest.The leader was right. He definitely hadn’t planned on killing me earlier. I hadn’t sensed this level of bloodlust earlier, not even when he’d threatened the twins. The aura he’d given off just now was absolutely terrifying. For whatever reason, he'd chosen to withdraw rather than attack. I was grateful for that because there was no way either Damien or I would have stood a chance against him, especially not with my current injury. “I don’t sense him anymore.” Damien said, his voice still holding a bit of edge while his eyes remained focused on the area the vampire had just been. He wouldn’t have been able to see the royal the way I had but Damien’s senses were sharp. He’d figured out the vampire’s